Clarksburg ombudsman departs

Mitchell credited with uniting community, but county unable to fund position

Shortly after Kathleen Mitchell became the Clarksburg ombudsman, she took Montgomery County's transportation director to the intersection of Brink and Frederick roads, where she had witnessed seven crashes or near-misses in a relatively short period of time.

County officials had told her that nothing could be done to make the intersection safer until the state follows through on long-range plans to widen Route 355 from Route 27 to the Frederick County line.

After Department of Transportation Director Arthur Holmes Jr. saw the T-shaped intersection for himself, he ordered his staff to make it safer. Plans were drawn up to widen Brink Road and add a stop sign at the intersection, which marks the beginning of Clarksburg as motorists drive north from Germantown.

That was in 2007, and although the county collected money from developers to do the work, as is customary with new development, nothing has been done.

Making the intersection safer was one of the projects on Mitchell's list to accomplish before leaving her post as ombudsman last week. Under the weight of a multi-million-dollar budget deficit, the county did not renew her contract, which ended Jan. 31.

Although she did not want to leave  especially now that the county Planning Board has agreed to let work proceed on Clarksburg Town Center after a five-year delay  the time is a good one in which to make the transition, Mitchell said.

"There will always be things looming," she said. "At least at this point other issues can be addressed without thinking about the Town Center."

Traffic has been one of the most frustrating problems for Clarksburg residents.

"Most of the road construction is tied to the development," Mitchell said.

Critical Clarksburg road projects all are in some way tied to Clarksburg Town Center, the final site plan of which was stalled until recent weeks after violations were uncovered by residents in 2005. That set in motion years of negotiations between the developer, Newland Communities of Virginia, and the community over how to mitigate the problem. Last month the Planning Board gave a tacit approval to the final site plan.

The Clarksburg Master Plan dictates how retail development can proceed in Clarksburg, and other projects must wait for the Town Center retail district to be established before they can be built.

Upcounty Regional Services Center Director Catherine Matthews, Assistant Director Jewru Bandeh and Assistant County Administrative Officer Diane Schwartz-Jones are taking over the responsibility for overseeing Clarksburg, which is expected to go from a community of rolling hills and farmland to one of nearly 40,000 residents within the next 15 years.

Mitchell, 60, of Rockville, became the ombudsman in September 2007, taking over six months after the community's first representative, Jennifer Russel, left for a job in private industry.

The county appointed Russel in 2005 after hundreds of site plan violations were uncovered in Clarksburg Town Center. The ombudsman was to be the county executive's representative in the community, serving as liaison to the community, developers, businesses and county officials. Her job was to solve problems and facilitate the delivery of county services to Clarksburg residents.

Kathie Hulley, president of the Clarksburg Civic Association, is sorry to see Mitchell go.

Mitchell always responded quickly to questions and, if she did not know the answer, found out who did, said Barry Fantle, vice president of the Clarksburg Civic Association.

"She was like an encyclopedia," he said. "I'm very disappointed that they did not renew her position. I can't state strongly enough what an asset she was to Clarksburg."

Russel left behind a list of 15 issues that needed attention. They included finding library and fire station sites, connecting the Clarksburg Historic District to sewer service, and building roads. Mitchell said some progress has been made on Russel's list, adding that her own list will include many of the same plus a few new issues, such as finding a location for a proposed county bus depot.

"She's leaving the community without an ombudsman," Hulley said. "We still need one. The county can't think all the problems are solved. They're not."

Mitchell is optimistic that Clarksburg is on the path to completion.

"The people up there are really a terrific community and they will continue to make sure [progress] happens," Mitchell said. "I think they're far enough along now, they have a greater sense of security than they did three years ago."